Combination bolster pillow and ring toss apparatus

ABSTRACT

A bolster type pillow adapted for conversion to a ring toss game consists of a pillow core element, a pair of ring toss pins and a contoured and fitted protective cover for the pillow core element. The pillow core is constructed from a plurality of segments of a flexible resilient material with the interior segments having bored out centers for forming the ring toss elements, and with the two end segments including smaller apertures located centrally thereof to form base sockets for the ring toss pins. There is also included a pair of targets printed on flexible plastic or paper like material, and a cord that is used to connect the pins together, each of which are stored with the ring toss pins in the region provided by the bored out centers of the interior pillow core segments in an aligned condition.

United 1 States Patent 1191 Genua 1 1 COMBINATION BOLSTER PILLOW AND RING TOSS APPARATUS [76 Inventor: Robert L. Genua, 27 Crimmins Rd.,

' Darien, Conn. 06820 22 Filed: June 1,1973 21 Appl. No.1 366,991

[52-] US. 273/100, 273/104, 206/46 AM, 5/340 [51] Int. Cl A63b 71/09 [58] Field of Search 273/100, 104; 5/340;

206/46 R, 46 AM, 46 FC [56] 1 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,263,246 8/1966 Towery 5 340 1,531,241 3/1925 Martin 273 100 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,261,900 4/l961 France 273/100 l,269,814, 7/1961 France 5/340 1 [111 3,802,704 14 1 Apr.9, 1974 Primary Examiner- -Anton O. Oechsle Assistant Examiner-Marvin Siskind 57 ABSTRACT A bolster type pillow adapted for conversion to a ring toss game consists of a pillow core element, a pair of ring toss pins and a contoured and fitted protective cover for the pillow core element. The pillow core is constructed from a plurality of segments ofva flexible resilient material with the interior segments having bored out centers for forming the ring toss elements, and'with the two end segments including smaller apertures located centrally thereof to form base sockets for the ring toss pins. There is also included a pair of targets printed on flexible plastic or paper like material, and a cord that is used'to connect the pins together, each of which are stored with the ring toss pins in the region provided by the bored out centers of the interiorpillow core segments in an aligned condition.

9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures COMBINATION BOLSTER PILLOW AND RI G TOSS APPARATUS I SUMMARY or INVENTION invention in one respect relates to the game of quoits or ring toss,.which may be played indoors or outdoors;

on carpeted or uncarpeted floors, and without injury to the floor, carpets, surrounding objects or the players because of the materials of construction used. On the other hand, and also because of the materials of construction used, the invention herein when not being used in its game form is adapted to be packaged in a fitted decorative cover for use as a bolster pillow or the like;

' Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to-provide a bolster pillow that may be constructed with anydesired dimensions or shapeand that is lightweight and easily portable.

Another objectof the present invention is to provide a ring toss game and the elements thereof wherein the respective elements are constructed in any desired shape or form and from any suitable flexible or resilient material thereby making the game useful for people of all ages. I y i Yet anotherlobject of the present invention is to provide a ring toss game that is inexpensive to manufacture, and wherein the elements thereof are adapted to be packaged in a cover member provided therefor to present a neat and attractive appearance in the form of a bolster pillow or the like.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description and appended claims in conjunction with theattached drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is aperspective view of the exterior appearance of the present invention in its bolster pillow form;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the overall appearance of the present invention in its ring toss game form.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention is specifically directed'to a unique construction for a decorative bolster pillow wherein the elements thereof also serve as components of a ring toss game. It is believed that the construction Qfthe present invention is novel since each and every one of the components of the ring toss game serve as the core element of the decorative bolster pillow while the decorative bolster pillow cover serves as a functional cover for the game components. Thus the pillow core is constructed from a plurality of segments of a flexible resilient material which segments in the preferred form are in the shape of a frustrum of a cylinder. In this regard, the discreet cylindrical segments when aligned with one another, and packaged in their decorative cover, serve as the pillow core element of the bolster pillow formof the invention. The ring to'ss game also includes a pair of ring toss pins, a pair of targets and a length of cord each of which are stored inside the bolster pillow cover member in the pillow configuration. j The pillow core element in its preferred form consists of a plurality of cylindrical segments of about seven inches in diameter and about two inches thick. Each of the cylindrical segments except "two i.e., (n 2), are formed with a centrally located hole or opening of about three inches in diameter and these elements serve as the ring toss components of the game. The remaining two cylindrical segments each have a smaller aperture located centrally thereof and form base members and socket means for supporting the ring toss pins. Thus with the cylindrical segments aligned in their pillow core configuration so that the interior segments consist of the ring toss components and the end segments consist of the base members, a hollowed out region is formed within the center of the pillow 'coreel ement wherein the remaining parts of the ring toss game are stored. 1

Referring morespecifically to FIG. 1, there is illustrated an overall view of the bolster pillow of the present invention identified by reference numeral 9. As may be seen from the drawing, in its preferred form'the exterior shape of the pillow takes the shape of a long cylindrical bolster type pillow which is provided with a protective decorator pillow cover 10 of similar shape and form. It should be appreciated however, that the actual size and shape of the completed pillow would be a matter of taste and preference. In this regard, the pillow shapeco uld bein the form of a triangle or an ellipse or any otherpractical geometrical form. Similarly, the length and diameter of the pillow could be varied depending upon the number of segments desired for the ring toss game, the thickness of the ring toss components, and the age group likely to use the game.

FIG. 2 shows an expanded perspective view of a preferred construction of the invention. In this view, the decorative pillow cover 10 has been removed from the pillow core element and each of the individual cylindrical segments 11-18 are still aligned but separated from one another. In addition, FIG. 2 shows the ring toss pins '19, 20 with the target sheets 21, 22 partially wrapped therearound for storage within the hollowed out interior of the pillow core. Note also in FIG. 2 that each of the end cylindrical segments 11, 12 are not bored out attheir centers, but only have the smaller apertures 24 which serve as sockets for supporting the ring toss pins 19, 20. Thus FIG. 2 shows six discreet cylindrical segments 13-18 interiorly of the end segments l1, 12, each of which contain centrally located holes or openings 25. As noted hereinbefore, the holes or openings 25 in the preferred form are about 3 inches in diameter while the cylindrical segments 11-18 are about 7 inches in diameter. In addition, each cylindrical segment 11-18 about 2 inches thick andfinally, the ring toss pins 19, 20 are between and 1 inch in diameter and about 8 inches long.

FIG. 3 shows in cross section the pillow construction of FIG. 1 with the cylindrical segments 11-18 aligned with one another and the ring toss pins 19, 20 stored in the region provided by the aligned holes or openings 25. In addition, FIG. 3 shows the target sheets 21, 22 wrapped around the ring toss pins 19, 20 for storage in the same region as the ring toss pins, and of course, the cord 26 would be stored in a similar manner. Accordingly, it may be seen that the elements of the present cover 10, the game itself is imminently portable. As

noted both in FIGS. 1 and 2,'one end of the decorative pillow cover 10 is provided with a zipper closure 23 for the purpose of providing access to the ring toss game elements. It will be understood however that any other equivalent closure means could be used for the cover 10 includinga drawstringor snapped closure. The

cover member 10 is made from any desired fabric but would preferably beconstructed from decorator fabrics where the combination game and pillow was intended for indoor use or from canvas or the like material for outdoor use. In addition, although any available flexible resilient material couldbe used as the material of construction for the cylindrical segment pillow core, at least one preferred material would take the form of a self-extinguishing, polyurethane foam material. And finally, the ring toss pins 19, 20 could readily be prepared from any available rod-like material, such as wooden dowels'tock or plastic tubular stock having a diameter of between one half and one inch.

FIG. 4 illustrates one of the assembled ring toss pins 19. Note in the view shown that the pin 19 is in the form of a hollow, tube of plastic and it is engaged in the socket 24 of base member 11 with a frictional fit. Obviously other equivalent means could be used for the purpose of retaining the pin 19 in the socket 24, however such means would necessarily be only temporary since the pin 19 must be removed therefrom for conversion back to the bolster pillow configuratiom FIG. 5 shows the different components of the present invention in their ring toss game configuration. Note that in each case, the ring toss pins 19 and 20 are engaged in the'sockets 24 of the base members 11 and 12 with the length of cord 26 connected between the pins 19, 20 to permit accurate spacing of the elements, and the target sheets 21, 22 are slipped over the pins 19, 20 to cover the base elements. The remainder of the components shown in FIG. 5 consist of the ring toss elements 13-18 which are arranged in disarray around the two targets. Obviously'in actual use, the ring toss elements 13-18 would be tossed toward the targeted pins 19 and 20 and hopefully one or more of the elements 13-18 would land around one of the pins.

Accordingly it may be seen that the invention herein consists of a plurality of components which are fully utilized in two completely different environments. With the different components of the'invention arranged as shown in FlG. 3, and with the decorative cover 10 applied as shown in FIG. 1, the invention is useful as a bolster type pillow. Then with the components of FIG. 3 disassembled so to speak, and arranged as shown in FIG. 5, the invention herein is useful as a game. Thus although the specification herein describes only a single embodiment of the invention, it should be under stood that structural and/or material substitutions could readily be made in the invention as described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the description and drawing included herewith should be considered only as an illustration of one form the invention may take, with the true'nature of the invention being limited only as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A bolster type pillow construction adapted for conversion to a ring tossgame comprising; 1

a. a pillow core element and a contour fitted protective enclosurefor said pillow core element;

b. said pillow core element consisting ofa plurality of segments of a flexible resilient material aligned in side-by-side relation; v

c. said segments consisting of a pair of end segments and a plurality of interior segments, each of said interior segmentshaving an opening in the center thereof, which openings form a centrally located elongated storage area'when the interior segments are aligned; and,

d. a pair of elongated-pins and target sheets and a length of cord stored within the storage area created by the aligned openings of said interior segments. t

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the contour fitted protective enclosure includes means in one end thereof for permitting access to the pillow core element in order to convert the apparatus to its ring toss game configuration.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the means for permitting access to said pillow core element comprises a zipper type closure.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the pair of elongated pins serve as ring toss pins in the ring toss game configuration of the apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the end segments of said pillow core element each serve as ring toss pin base members in the ring toss game configuration of the apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein each of the ring toss pin base members have apertures located centrally thereof which apertures form sockets for accepting the ring toss pins. 1

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the interior segments each serve as ring toss members in the ring toss game configuration of the apparatus.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the target sheets are fitted around the ring toss pins and. cover the ring toss pin base members in the ring toss game configuration of the apparatus.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein each of the segments which make up the pillow core element are formed in the shape of a frustum of a cylinder.

I I I I! '0 l 

1. A bolster type pillow construction adapted for conversion to a ring toss game comprising; a. a pillow core element and a contour fitted protective enclosure for said pillow core element; b. said pillow core element consisting of a plurality of segments of a flexible resilient material aligned in side-byside relation; c. said segments consisting of a pair of end segments and a plurality of interior segments, each of said interior segments having an opening in the center thereof, which openings form a centrally located elongated storage area when the interior segments are aligned; and, d. a pair of elongated pins and target sheets and a length of cord stored within the storage area created by the aligned openings of said interior segments.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the contour fitted protective enclosure includes means in one end thereof for permitting access to the pillow core element in order to convert the apparatus to its ring toss game configuration.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the means for permitting access to said pillow core element comprises a zipper type closure.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the pair of elongated pins serve as ring toss pins in the ring toss game configuration of the apparatus.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the end segments of said pillow core element each serve as ring toss pin base members in the ring toss game configuration of the apparatus.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein each of the ring toss pin base members have apertures located centrally thereof which apertures form sockets for accepting the ring toss pins.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the interior segments each serve as ring toss members in the ring toss game configuration of the apparatus.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the target sheets are fitted around the ring toss pins and cover the ring toss pin base members in the ring toss game configuration of the apparatus.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein each of the segments which make up the pillow core element are formed in the shape of a frustum of a cylinder. 